Brands and celebs that embrace animal-free fashion dominate first-ever PETA Fashion Awards

In New York, winners of PETA’s inaugural Fashion Awards include celebrities who champion vegan leathers and trail-blazing brands working to make fashion kinder to animals and the planet.  

Stella McCartney earned Best Vegan Heel for its “showstopping” Ryder Knee-High Stiletto Boots popularized by Taylor Swift. The boot is made from the brand’s Alter Mat vegan leather and VEGEA, a biobased material sourced from grape waste.

Canada Goose won Coolest Warmest Down-Free Fashion for its innovative use of biobased Tencel in its water-repellent, wind-resistant Carlyle Quilted Shirt Jacket.

Gucci won Best Luxury Product for its first-ever vegan bag, the Horsebit 1955 Shoulder Bag in black and the brand’s signature Diamante pattern. Introduced in October with the help of Billie Eilish, the bag used Demetra, a material developed by Gucci that is 75% plant-based. Feedstock includes viscose, wood pulp, hemp and corn-based plastic.

Other winners included Versace for Hottest Vegan Leather Product; Aupen for Most Wanted Award for its in-demand vegan bags popularized by Swift, Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, and Gabrielle Union; and Kylie Jenner for Best Vegan Fashion Moment for the launch party for her brand Khy, where she, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and other celebs rocked Khy’s faux-leather staples.

“From faux-leather boots worn by Taylor Swift to Gucci making fashion history with its first vegan bag, animal-free fashion is in vogue in 2023,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a press statement. “Vegan fashion is not only chic and luxurious but also everywhere, and PETA is honoring the innovative designers and brands that are helping kind consumers keep animals out of their wardrobes.”

PETA Fashion Award winners will receive a personalized framed certificate from PETA and a year’s worth of bragging rights.

PETA also handed out two “dishonors.” H&M was named Villain of the Year for supporting the down industry, and Reformation received the Greenwasher of the Year award for marketing itself as a “sustainable” company while also selling cruel and environmentally destructive animal-derived materials.